Last summer my husband and I did a little project and renovated our backyard. One of the things we added is a concrete bench and fire pit, my new happy place.
When designing how we wanted it to look, I didn’t want the back of the bench to also be concrete given we were already pretty concrete-heavy in our design. I have fallen in love with the modern rustic farmhouse design elements as of late so I wanted to pull in some wood to warm up our space.
Reclaimed Wood Orange County
I told my husband I wished we could find reclaimed wood somewhere in Orange County, but where? After some Google searching, he found a company called U.S. Reclaimed in Laguna Niguel that sells just that – reclaimed wood! Yippee!
One step into the giant U.S. Reclaimed warehouse and I swear I got goosebumps when I gazed at the fabulous pieces of beat up, character-rich wood.
No one piece the same as the next.
The company is owned by a guy named Ben and his darling wife. Ben asked us what we were doing and helped us pull different pieces to lay out together until we found the exact combination we wanted. Look at how GORGEOUS!
Ben shared that his company seeks out vintage structures, like barns, sawmills, etc. and will break them down carefully to reclaim the lumber for use in modern projects. All of the lumber is at least 100 years old.
If those boards could talk…
We found the perfect mix of 6 complementary boards and had them mounted on brackets to create a back for the bench. Every time I sit out there I notice new imperfections and marvel at the saw marks.
We chose not to treat the wood because we wanted it to weather naturally and it has turned into a really pretty gray which blends in nicely with the concrete on the bench contrasts with the redwood on our back fence. Notice the saw marks…
Reclaimed Wood Floating Shelves
As we continued to work on the backyard, my husband built a new garden against our back wall. And a LOT of stucco. I thought it might be cool to do some of the U.S. Reclaimed thicker pieces and do hanging selvesto break up the sea of stucco and give the wall a little interest.
That, and I wanted an excuse to go back to U.S. Reclaimed again! Of course, Ben had the perfect materials for us. Now how was I going to choose?
Once again, he helped us find the right piece with the right character and dimensions and this is how the shelves turned out above our garden. Note: the garden itself is not made of reclaimed wood, just the floating shelves above.
Look at the beautiful marks on the edge…
Thank you for letting me share our projects and my love for U.S. Reclaimed – your go-to spot for reclaimed wood in Orange County.
I have, of course, spent time in this space and have to say, I am so impressed with what you have done! It is so beautiful, relaxing and all purpose. Great job creating an amazing back yard using imagination, creativity and repurposed materials 🙂
Thank you for the sweet comment Lee!!!! I am so happy to be able to share it with you!
I need those reclaimed wood floating shelves in my life RIGHT NOW. Loved this article 🙂